Mischeif Maker
by RomanticlyXTragic
Summary: Jane, Erik, and Darcy are taken to Asgard to study the Rainbow Bridge and Darcy makes an unlikely friend. (Rated M for some language)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this is taking place after Thor and before the Avengers. Just pretend like the other movies didn't happen. Hope you all enjoy it.**

**Chapter 1**

There wasn't much that Darcy Lewis couldn't handle, but having the Intern follow her around like a lost puppy dog was starting to get on her nerves. They had kissed once, _once_ and he acted like they had been in love for their entire lives. So when she was hanging out in the apartment she, Jane, and Erik shared and Ian the Intern let himself in and tried to massage her feet Darcy decided enough was enough.

"Jesus Ian, stop. We talked about this, we thought we were going to die and kissed one time so please stop acting like we're an item."

Ian slumped to the ground, it wasn't as if Darcy had never said that to him but there was something about the way she said it this time that made it seem real for him. Jane had been sitting at the kitchen table working on a proposal for Stark Industries but had been startled by Darcy's sudden outburst, she watched as Darcy pulled her shoes back on and walked out the front door.

"She's really not interested is she?" Ian sounded pitiful and it pulled at Jane's heart strings but she had watched for almost a year as she spurned his advances again and again with no change.

London was a busy city and Darcy had gotten lost more than a few times, so it was no surprise when Jane called her an hour after storming out asking where she was.

"I just went for a walk, is the intern still there?"

"Ian left, but there is someone else here that wants to see you."

Finally making her way back to the apartment and not even in the door completely Darcy was accosted by two very strong arms.

"Lady Darcy! What a pleasure to see you once more."

Well it wasn't Thor which meant that there was only one other person who could be holding her a foot off the ground at the moment. "Volstagg, good to see you too." There might have been one of two ribs broken from the hug but Darcy would survive.

"There is nothing more wonderful than seeing your smiling face once more Lady Darcy," Fandral bowed deeply before kissing her knuckles, it was moves like this that had made her consider jumping his bones on more than one occasion. "I hope you have been well."

Fandral backed away while keeping intense panty-dropping eye contact before the third visitor approached her. "Lady Darcy," Hogun bowed to her ceremoniously before giving her a hug. "How are you?"

"I've been better honestly, but you know that's life."

"Is something the matter?" Thor appeared from another room with a worried look across his face, "Has someone hurt you?"

"Oh hey muscle man, no one's hurt me I'm fine."

"She's lying, Ian's been at it again."

"_Jane!_" There had been so much hugging in the last five minutes of Darcy's life she didn't know what to do with herself, Thor had always been gentle when hugging her understanding that her puny mortal form couldn't handle his strength but Volstagg was so excitable he forgot her bones broke easily. "What are you guys doing here anyway?"

"We are here to take you to Asgard of course!" Fandral swept his hand outwards toward her in a flourish, he was so much like Robin Hood that Darcy was surprised he didn't have a bow and arrows.

"Sorry, what?"

"I haven't had a chance to talk to her about it yet."

The silence was deafening, Darcy's mouth hung open looking from face to face to find some reason to think it was a joke. "Jane?"

"Erik and I have been invited to study in Asgard on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge from the other side to make sense of how it works, that way we will have the data we need for the experiments we've been trying to run for the past few years. One of our conditions was that you would come with us if you wanted."

The Asgardians stood watching as she tried to make sense of everything, this wasn't news that she could take and just be expected to leave right away with after all. "You're serious?" Jane nodded. "Well what the hell are we waiting for?!"

Darcy ran to her room only to find her things were already boxed up her purse and a weekend bag were sitting on the bed. "I hope you don't mind, we assumed you would agree to go with us." Jane was smiling wider than ever.

"If Fandral went through my underwear drawer I'm gonna kick his ass."

"Are you alright Lady Darcy?"

Colors were swirling around even with her eyes closed making her pounding head worse and threatening her breakfast to make a reappearance. Darcy shook her head trying to breath normally.

"The bifrost is not something that Midgardians are accustomed to." The voice was much deeper than any Darcy had ever heard before, either someone had joined them or Thor sounded different on his home planet.

Finally gaining the strength to open her eyes and try to brace herself. Hogun and Fandral were crouched next to where she had collapsed with worried looks across their faces, taking the formers hand up she kept trying to control her breathing. There was someone new with them, one of the tallest people she'd ever laid eyes on with a sword almost as big as he was. The gold armor he wore matched his bright gold eyes only making them seem brighter and stand out more against his dark skin, the gaze seemed lazy but deep and Darcy suddenly felt naked in front of him.

"We should get the three of you settled in before the feast."

Being led out of the giant golden dome out on the rainbow bridge the earthlings gasped, the city was so bright and shiny that everything glittered in a way Darcy was glad she had her sunglasses on hand. Finally getting to the giant palace looking building (which was still smaller than the actual gigantic palace) they found that their rooms were all in the same hallway and the lab was just around the corner, they each even had an office to use and keep items in if they needed the space.

Depositing a couple of boxes in the lab the three ran for the rooms.

"How the fuck is this single room bigger than the entire apartment?" Darcy's scream reached her other roommates. The bed was twice the size of a regular queen sized bed on Earth, the closet had enough room for Darcy to live in and it was already filled with clothes of all Asgardian styles and colors. The bathroom on the other side of the room was filled with marble fixtures and floor, a rug thrown across a portion of the floor to keep her feet from getting cold, a giant tub took up one of the walls, a shower was situated a couple of feet away, the sink was wide enough to sit in and the mirror was the largest she had ever seen.

On the opposite side of the bathroom was a vanity already filled with hair brushes, combs, something that looked like gems, and another thing that looked like it curled. Darcy didn't know what most of it was but she would be cure to try it out.

"Darcy are you in here?"

Poking her head out of the bathroom she saw Jane and Erik walk in. "This place is amazing."

"Thor said we should change into some of the clothes provided for us so that we don't stand out too much at dinner."

Finally noticing that her friends were wearing different clothes, she ran to the closet and pulled on the closest dress to her. It fit really well, the waist sat high and the fabric covered enough of her humongous boobs to keep Fandral from drooling.

Thor led them to the feast and brought them immediately to meet his parents.

"Mother, father may I introduce Doctor Erik Selvig, Doctor Jane Foster, and Lady Darcy Lewis." In turn each of them smiled. "My friends, may I introduce my parents Queen Frigga, and the Allfather Odin." In turn each lifted their heads in an informal hello. Frigga smiled widely at Thor realizing that this was the Jane he was always going on about.

Darcy was almost too entranced with looking at how intricate the walls were to notice that another person entered the room but when she did everything stopped. Jane and Erik stiffened next to her, the three of them weren't sure what to expect while they were in Asgard but it certainly wasn't this.

"What the fu-" Jane slapped a hand over her interns mouth before she could finish, Thor kept smiling at the man but didn't move to embrace him.

"And may I introduce my brother Loki,"

Darcy had never seen Thor's brother but had heard a lot about him, she didn't imagine that he would have been so tall, or pale, or even so angry looking. Sure the guy tried to kill Thor and destroyed a small town in New Mexico but did he have to look like absolutely everything pissed him off? Where Thor and Frigga had blonde hair, Loki's was black only making his skin look even paler.

Loki didn't even look at them; he didn't say a single word and instead sat next to his mother and started eating. Thor motioned for the guests to take a seat and fill their plates with food, he started telling his family about the work Jane and Erik were doing and how exciting it was for them to have this opportunity. Frigga seemed to be the more talkative of the parents but Odin did have a few things to say, Loki was the only one who stayed silent.

As the intern Darcy was tasked with finding bits of information that could be useful to help Jane and Erik's experiments, but the office she was given and the books they had brought didn't have everything they needed so instead she made her way to the library for the day packed with a couple of notebooks and snacks.

Pulling out her ipod and throwing on the soundtrack to Harry Potter Darcy took a handful of books off the shelves and settled in at a table, reading through and finding bits or what she needed Darcy would jot them down to take back to Jane. She cited everything just in case they needed to publish when the bridge opened. Where the information came from wouldn't be remembered five minutes from now so she made sure to get everything she needed before moving it away.

Hours passed, almost twenty books were piled up in the chairs surrounding Darcy, and she was already on the third movie's soundtrack before she realized that the books she had gone through were starting to disappear. Looking up she saw none other than Loki sitting in a chair on the level above her reading a book and waving his hand lazily.

"What the hell are you doing?" Silence. "I need those books!" Still silence. "Hey assbag, I'm not done with my research and I need the books you're taking from me." The books stopped disappearing and there was a small sigh of annoyance from Loki, the only thing sound he had made since they were introduced. "For being the god of mischief that trick wasn't great by the way."

Suddenly he was in front of her sneering down, "You think that was an actual trick?" His voice wasn't as deep as Thor's but it was still deeper than she imagined, his eyes were dark green flecked with gold, his mouth closed looking like he was waiting for an answer. "_That_ was nothing," His voice was above her now where he had been sitting. "This is a trick."

Darcy looked up and Loki was still on the level above her looking down, but he was also still standing at her table.

"Projection, Thor told us about that." The one at the table shimmered and disappeared. "It's almost like he wanted us to know about you just in case." The sneer deepened as Loki continued looking down at her. "He said that you were tried and you got into some real trouble, but that you were forgiven. Even with all of that you would still try to pull some tricks to make what we're doing inconvenient."

Loki scoffed, "You mean what the other woman and the old man are doing, _you_ Darcy Lewis are a glorified assistant."

"Yeah I am, but I get money for it and I get to travel to fun places, and meet freakin' _gods_ so I'd say that getting coffee and going through notes isn't so bad."

The library was Loki's sanctuary, he didn't have to talk to anyone while he was there and people eventually started avoiding the room if they knew he was in there. That was why when Thor's Midgardian friend came into the room and stayed for much longer than he deemed necessary Loki felt a bit annoyed. She had pulled out more books than she should have taken and left them on the table instead of putting them back when finished, and continued to tap on the table with her wooden writing instrument.

It was infuriating. He was about to tell her that she needed to leave, but when he looked down at her he was struck with an odd feeling. Of course her ample bosom caught his attention but that wasn't what made him smile. He decided he would have a little fun with this mortal woman and teach her some manners.

When she started yelling at him the fun only increased, but she took a step too far by insulting his magic and again by spouting her knowledge of his projection ability.

_I will find a way to make her realize that I am not to be trifled with._

**A/N: So I had started a story but realized I made Loki to human so I'm starting over. Let me know when you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Loki, you made a mistake out of greed but it has been rectified. You cannot continue to punish yourself for an act made while not entirely sane."

Breakfast was normally an affair that was only attended by Loki and Frigga, and she always tried to make her son feel better with little talks that only ever ended up infuriating him. Fortunately she stopped talking when Darcy and Jane walked into the room both bleary eyed from just waking up although Darcy looked like she could possibly still be asleep.

"How did you sleep ladies?"

"Very well thank you," Jane answered starting to fill her plate. "Everything I've seen has been outstanding, I would love to see more of Asgard."

"That can be arranged. I am certain Thor and Loki would agree to take you ladies for a tour of our lovely home." Darcy choked on the food she had been chewing looking from Loki to his mother, the trickster was simply looking to Frigga trying to figure out why she would offer him up to be a tour guide.

"That would be wonderful, thank you." Even Jane looked a little skeptical with the offer but they finished their breakfast and went to get changed.

Thor and Loki met them in the hallway the girls were staying in and led them out to the stables for horses.

"I'm sorry my princes, but we only have two horses at the moment."

"It is no problem," Thor thundered. "We can each ride with one of the ladies, Loki will be fine with this I am certain."

Instead of agreeing the darker of the brothers stared at Thor wanting to burn a hole through his head. The man running the stable brought out both horses saddled and ready, Thor lifted Jane into the saddle and brought himself up behind her. Darcy walked over to the hose and took hold of the saddle before noticing Loki standing next to her holding out his hands like he wanted to help her as well.

"I may be the god of tricks and lies, but I was still raised to be a gentleman." Settling into the saddle Darcy hadn't been prepared for Loki to sit so close behind her and to put his arms on either side to take the reins. "Have you ever ridden a horse before?"

"Uhm, when I was little I had a pony ride at my birthday party."

"Then I would find something to hold on to."

The rest of the day the four travelled around sight-seeing, Thor was the one who explained what everything was while Loki stood off to the side and pretended like he didn't want to be there. Darcy still ended up having a good time even as a third wheel and even though her butt and thighs were killing her.

"Look at those colors! I didn't even know orange could look that bright." The sun was setting on Asgard and Thor had taken them to a cliff overlooking the rest of the city, the colors in the sunset reflected off of the buildings. Darcy couldn't even describe the colors she was seeing but she wanted to remember them forever.

"Frigga, my queen." Odin was sitting on his throne watching as others mulled about in the court. "What have I been hearing about our sons taking the Midgardian women out and only two horses available?"

"Loki is not the only mischievous one in the family my love."

"My butt hasn't hurt this badly in a _long_ time." Darcy complained lying on her stomach in Jane's room.

"It'll feel better in a few days."

Since they got back Jane had done nothing but gush about how romantic and sweet Thor had been all day, whispering cute things into her ear while they were riding and keeping his arm around her waist the entire time.

"Well it's been great listening to you talk about your boyfriend again, but I'm gonna go throw up now."

Hobbling down the hall to her room Darcy felt fine except for the tightness in her thighs, she was tired from running around all day though and decided to take a nap before dinner. Kicking off her shoes and crawling into bed she realized that she was going to have a good time on Asgard, sure she would be working but she was working on an alien planet.

And maybe Loki had already tried to be an ass but she could handle it, he was right when he said that he was a gentleman albeit a brooding and silent one. She would find a way to get him talking while she was here and he would like it.

When Jane knocked on her door for dinner Darcy could barely stand but managed to get out of bed, put her shoes on, and walk to dinner. Frigga, Thor, and Erik were already there and had started eating already.

"There you are, we were starting to get worried about you." Erik look right at home sitting at the table cutting into the chicken and taking a bite.

"I'm a little sore from riding the horse earlier."

"It is difficult to ride two to a saddle and not ache afterwards,"

"Then why aren't you two sore?"

Thor shrugged, "Loki cured our aches."

Looking between each of them Darcy's jaw dropped, "And why didn't you mention this earlier Jane?"

"You didn't ask."

"I hate you so much right now."

Just then the jerk himself walked in and kissed his mother on the cheek. "How was your day mother?"

"I had to walk around court and help your father, rather boring in the end. I trust the four of you had a nice day?"

Darcy spent the next few days in the library gathering more information and making charts from the data already collected. The table she sat at was starting to become like a second home for her, the morning she would take up and fix her hair a little bit and make her way to the library and would stay there until it was time to get dinner.

This went on for almost a week and Darcy had barely seen her friends except for at dinner. Jane and Erik were just as busy with working on the bridge and Thor was trying to take care of something in one of the other realms. Frigga continued to be amazing and loved to hear about everyone's day but also continued to be a queen which meant that she could not say everything she wanted to.

The only other person that she hadn't seen at all since the day they went out exploring was Loki. He hadn't been seen by anyone but his mother apparently and she wasn't saying much. The library had been completely empty for Darcy all week until one day green eyes appeared behind her mountain of books.

"Did you know that you bite your lip on the side when you're reading a long passage?"

"Did you know that I've already been told that?"

One corner of his mouth twitched upward in a smirk, "You do not care what others think of you Darcy Lewis."

"Again, already been told that."

"And it is infuriating."

Darcy finally looked up from her notebook, "So, what? You're gonna sit here and try to figure me out or something?"

"Or something." Without another word he stood and left the library.

_That guy is super weird._ She didn't worry about it though because she still had like a million books to get through before she would be able to feel like something productive happened and it was already afternoon.

By dinner time Darcy was dead tired and her head felt like it was about to explode, but she was still grateful that Jane and Erik would even think to bring her along so she didn't complain.

"Everything alright Darce?" She had met up with Jane in their hallway to go to dinner when her vision started getting blurry, Darcy shook her head to say no but realized that was a terrible idea and groaned. "Migraine?"

She didn't dare move her head again and instead mustered up a small yes. Darcy had always gotten migraines and there was no telling when one would come along and nothing that triggered them. Jane helped her to bed and put a damp washcloth across her eyes hoping it would help.

"I'll bring you some food, maybe that'll help." Darcy squeezed her hand in response and tried to fall asleep.

The side of the bed dipped next to Darcy's body, either Jane had gained more weight or she told someone else about her migraine, either way she didn't dare open her eyes to see. Gently the wash cloth was removed from her face and a cool hand took its place, maybe it was the coolness of whoever was touching her or maybe it was some magic but the blood stopped pulsating in her ears, the pressure behind her eyes subsided, and even the tension in her neck was gone.

Finally able to open her eyes without feeling the need to throw up, Darcy blinked at the pale figure before her.

"Jane said that you were indisposed because of your head, I thought maybe I would help."

_Is that…sympathy in his eyes?_ "Thanks, how did you do it?"

Loki didn't move an inch as Darcy straightened herself up in the bed. "Do what?"

"Get rid of my headache. I felt like my head was gonna pop like a grape and now I feel like I could actually be human, so how did you do it?"

"I do possess many magical abilities."

"Yeah how did you learn them? Is there like a magical college around here like in Skyrim?"

There it was, the twitch in the side of his mouth again. He either thought Darcy was humorous or so stupid it was funny, she couldn't decide which. "There are books to learn magic from, but it also helps when one of your parents has also mastered the craft themselves."

"You mean your mom?" Black hair fell around Loki's shoulders as he nodded once. "She seems like she would have magical abilities."

Suddenly Loki was standing, aware that he had been sitting on the bed next to her for far too long and if someone walked in there would be rumors by breakfast. "I was also instructed to bring food; it is over on the table. Good night."

"Night, and thanks!" But her door was already closed, having legs as long as those must help with the speed walking thing.

Jane walked in as Darcy finished the plate of food gingerly walking across the room to make as little noise as possible. "How're you feeling?"

"Loads better, whose idea was it to send me to Prince of Grumpytown to fix me?"

"Frigga's, but it was the only logical choice seeing how Loki can heal." Darcy rolled her eyes, Thor had been trying to get them to forgive his brother for what he had done in New Mexico but it was a little difficult for Darcy considering it was her home town. "Besides you feel better right? So what's the problem?"

"I guess nothing, he's just not talkative at all and stares, it's weird."

They talked for a bit longer before deciding to get to bed and recharge to repeat everything tomorrow.

"Why was your hand so cold?"

Darcy hadn't even looked up from her notebook, she just knew that Loki had materialized across from her. Since the day of her head ache he had tried to annoy her into finding a new place to work even suggesting a few but she stayed put much to his chagrin.

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you." The coolness in his voice matched the temperature of his hands, it sounded like he didn't want to talk about it but wanted to come off as indifferent to the topic. A technique Darcy knew all too well.

"Listen dude, I'm on an alien planet actually doing work that doesn't involve getting people coffee or trying to find the right tool to use to make some really complicated thing. So try me."

The sigh seemed more for show than anything but Loki eventually decided maybe it would freak her out enough if he told her. "I am not really Odin's son, in fact I am not really from Asgard. I was born on Yodenheim to frost giants and Odin took me and raised me as his own."

"So what, you're just really cold all the time?"

In the blink of an eye Loki had turned his skin into a deep blue and his eyes turned red, he sat across from the table looking smug as if it was the greatest trick he'd ever played.

Darcy continued to stare with no emotion on her face, of course he had changed so quickly to try and scare her but she was already down the rabbit hole of weirdness. "So you're cold and blue, got it."

Apparently her reaction wasn't enough but Loki smirked trying to look satisfied. "You are not afraid of me?"

"Do I need to remind you that I'm on an alien planet again? Because I can do that."

"I am sure you can but you cannot pretend to not be awed by everything on Asgard."

And before Darcy could reply he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The dance of wits continued for Darcy and Loki for weeks. He would try to convince her to leave the library or that he was some scary monster and she would tell him that he was still the same douchebag who tried to kill Thor. Then they wouldn't talk for a few days.

It wasn't until Darcy found an amazing garden that overlooked the rest of Asgard that she stopped hiding herself in the library. She had also found a few great books on the rainbow bridge to use so she would just liberate them from the shelves and take them outside to read while she enjoyed the sunlight. But even after two weeks of doing that the space had to be ruined for her.

"First the library and now here, perhaps we have more in common than previously thought Darcy."

Loki had been avoiding any kind of communication with her for three weeks which meant that he had finally thought of a new way to try and freak her out. It was almost comical how annoyed he was by her presence but couldn't bring himself to just ignore her for the rest of the trip.

Preparing for some smartass comment or a trick he had come up with Darcy inwardly sighed, it was kind of fun going through this routine with him but she did have to work. Instead, he just stood there looking out over the buildings and people, his hands clasped behind his back.

Taking her opportunity Darcy drank in everything about him. He was tall but for calling himself a frost giant but he wasn't overly tall, his green and gold tunic and daily armor made him look skinny but she was sure that he was still very muscular under his clothes, and his jet black hair hung down past his ears curling a bit at the bottom. _He could be super hot if he wasn't so stubborn._

Thankfully Darcy hadn't realized the projection he sent out to the side of the courtyard before she looked up from her book. Having kept his distance for almost twenty days Loki's mind would not stop thinking about the small quirks she had.

The way she bit her lip while thinking, cocking her head to the side while trying to figure out if what he said had a double meaning, and twisting her fingers together were just a few he found intriguing. So when he saw her in the garden it was almost as if he felt like he had to see how she studied him while his back was turned. At first it wasn't anything special, her eyes had narrowed a bit as if Darcy wanted to know what he was doing but it only took a moment for a smile to appear on her lips followed by a shake of the head and running a hand through her loose hair.

Walking through the palace gardens had always been something Loki enjoyed doing to relax but this particular one was a favorite of his. It had the perfect view of most of Asgard including the floating building that he had studied at years before. From up here the rainbow bridge sparkled in the light causing colors to dance off nearby objects and the crystalline buildings glinted making them shine with light and look powerful.

Perhaps it was madness that drew him to Darcy Lewis, or perhaps it was that he had lived for centuries and had been unable to find anyone else besides his mother with the gift of deception and words as he had. Silver Tongue was not a nickname given freely, he had earned it from talking his way out of trouble or getting secrets he should not have known and while Darcy was bolder with her words she had the same effect on people. Only a few knew of his true parentage and yet that day in the library he felt as if he _must_ show her what he truly was.

"What are you planning?" The words broke his reverie causing Loki to spin and look at her. Darcy had gone back to looking at the book in her lap as if she was too bored with him to pay attention and as if she had not been staring only moments ago. "You've never just come to hang out with me, there's always something you're trying to do so let's get it over with."

"You forget that I was raised as a gentleman, I do not always have to play a trick to feel fulfilled for the day." Perfect eyebrows knit together with confusion as she tried to understand. "Good day Darcy."

Potentially what he was doing could be more dangerous than he understood but Loki did not care at the moment. It was enjoyable trying to understand the young intern and to watch her try to understand him in turn and to act differently only made her thrown off.

"I do not understand what you are trying to achieve with this scheme." Frigga had tried to explain it to her husband many times but Odin still did not understand why his wife would be plotting the way she was. "Can't you just let the girl be and let Loki continue reading as he does without meddling?"

"Don't you want grandchildren before your next Odinsleep? They do not know it yet but they are destined to love each other. I feel it in my heart that this young Midgardian will help our son with so much in his life and will make him happy again."

Odin sighed; there was no arguing with his wife when she had her mind set on something. She had already sent them out on a horse together for the day but that had been so long ago and now was the time for another day of frivolity together, or so she thought. Frigga had always loved both her sons equally but shared Loki's affinity for tricks and mischief although she hid it better than he did. "Please, at least make sure to not ruin this poor girls life."

The garden seemed to be a great spot for Darcy to work, it was serene but had enough noise to not distract her and was filled with plant life to look at if she got a bit bored. That was how it started anyway, since the day Loki had stood staring out at everything she had found herself sitting slower to the edge looking at the buildings more closely.

"Enjoying the view?" Of course he had snuck up on her, it was kind of what he did.

"I didn't even notice that building isn't touching the ground. What is it?"

"That is a special building for those with magical abilities, it has libraries with books on how to harness your power and different spells that could be used as well as classrooms to try the spells in and once there were even tutors to help."

In truth the building probably hadn't been used in a few decades, magic was frowned upon in Asgard as nothing but tricks and malice and so parents tried to hide children with abilities. Of course Frigga had openly adored Loki's affinities and had trained him herself helping him master simply spells to teaching his the basics of more advanced magic. He had become more powerful than imagined at his age, which was the only reason his mother had stopped tutoring him.

"Can we go?"

_Is she saying that she _wants_ to spend time with me?_ The prospect of her actually asking to go somewhere with him was astounding and worried Loki more than he cared to admit. "I suppose we could if you really wanted to see it."

Immediately Darcy packed up her things and started running out of the garden. "Meet at my room in fifteen minutes!"

Her hair was already curled and ready but she would need to change her clothes and put a little bit of make up on first. Throwing her bag on the bed she pulled open the drawers that held the clothes she had brought with her and pulled on a pair of jeans and a ling sleeved pink vee neck shirt, hastily applied her eye make-up, and grabbed the blue topaz necklace her mom had given her for Christmas. By the time she was pulling on her boots Loki was standing at her door ready to leave, he hadn't changed at all which meant that he had probably just walked very slowly down to the room.

"We will need to take a horse to get to the building."

"You mean a horse each this time or are we sharing again?"

Loki shrugged, "That depends on whether my mother has had all the horses used for other purposes today."

Darcy let the comment go, she wasn't even sure what it meant anyway and was too excited to really care. Luckily there were two horses in the stables when they got there and once they were saddled up Darcy was practically dancing with excitement.

Once again Loki held out his hand to help her onto the horse and then trotted off leading the way towards the building.

From far away the floating building looked big but it was nothing compared to how gigantic it seemed up close. Not only was the building floating and slowly turning but there were a few other pieces floating around the main building, Darcy wondered if they were just got decoration or if they were somewhere she could go.

"How do we get it?" It might have seemed obvious to Loki, but there was a real possibility that Darcy would never figure it out on her own. "Is there a secret door or something that I don't see?"

Without a word Loki strode forward underneath the building.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you insane! What if the building falls on you?"

Instead of answering Loki turned his head around and smiled, it wasn't filled with malice or anger and was only glee. It didn't seem like he was playing a trick or would try and kill her but Darcy made sure before bolting after him, she took one step under the building and when it didn't fall she took another.

By the time she had taken a few steps in Loki was watching from the center trying not to laugh at her. When Darcy finally stood next to him he only looked upwards and when her gaze followed his a bright light flashed, when her eyes opened again she wasn't outside anymore.

The building was dark and dusty as if it hadn't been used in years, as they walked down the hallway Darcy noticed that the doors were all closed and the rooms that she did open up were empty.

"So I take it the building isn't used for anything anymore?"

Loki walked with his hands behind his back like he did in the garden. "Not for decades, it was a place for those with magical abilities to train and learn new spells. There are a few libraries here with a few thousand books, and many rooms to practice or where someone could help tutor those who needed it."

"Let me guess, you spent a lot of time here?"

"I did," The halls looked like they would have been polished at one time, bright and used with children running around excitedly. "Mostly in the libraries as many children did not want to duel with me, I read every book they had twice."

"I don't think I've ever read a book twice if I didn't have to."

"If you wanted to become very powerful you would."

Darcy couldn't respond, if Loki had wanted to be very powerful there was nothing he couldn't do including kill Thor like he had already tried. Noticing that the silence was pregnant with negative thoughts Loki led her up the stairs and into a large room filled with books up to the ceiling.

"The basic knowledge books are within reaching distance while the more advanced books are up top."

"How do you get them?" There were no ladders in the room and no way to get to the top.

Without a word Loki held out his hand and watched Darcy's face as she realized that one of the books was floating down towards him. When the book reached his fingers he held it out to her. "A history on Asgard," The cover was thick leather with a marking on the front that Darcy obviously didn't recognize, there were no other markings on the binding, and it looked well read. "You might like to read it."

The rest of the building was filled with classrooms large enough to hold her entire graduating class and the year below it from high school that Loki told her were for practicing magic to use in battles, more libraries filled with books, and nooks for reading.

It took a few hours to make their way through the entire building and when they finally got back outside Darcy's stomach and rumbling with hunger.

"We should go back and eat." Loki himself looked like he could afford to eat a few large meals, Darcy knew that everyone on Asgard was built strong but this particular God was lean and looked like he would fall over if she breathed too hard on him. "I am certain there is a feast of food waiting if Volstagg has not eaten it all."

It was true the dude could eat, really they all could but she also didn't want to miss a chance at eating the delicious food. There was also the matter of getting back to work.

The horses had stayed close to the building and were glad to take them all the way back to the palace, depositing them back at the stables the pair raced up to the palace. Jane and Erik both stared at her as Darcy sat across from them and filled her plate, Loki greeted his mother the same way he always did with a kiss on the cheek. Jane's eyebrow arched at her intern watching as she avoided looking at Loki, by the end of the meal she was more suspicious than ever and followed Darcy back to her room.

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean why were you out with Loki for most of the afternoon?"

Darcy sighed and fell onto her bed, "I wanted to see the floating building."

"Somehow that makes perfect sense."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Going over Jane's notes had started to get super repetitive lately and when Darcy pointed it out the astrophysicist set her head on the table in front of her.

"I guess there isn't much to do until Erik and I figure out how it all works."

"Maybe it's magic!"

Jane shook her head. "Magic?"

"Well Thor and Loki have both said that magic and science are the same thing, right? So what if that's what it is and instead of trying to figure it out from the science side we figure it out from the magic side?"

"How would we do that exactly?"

"I'll do it, I'll start going through all the books on magic and see what I can find."

Jane waved her off still trying to figure out why the research was slowing down. Darcy left the office and went to her room grabbing a book from her luggage and made her way out to the garden. After about half an hour of sitting under a tree and reading Loki appeared next to her.

"That invisibility cloak of yours is kind of inconvenient for those of us who don't want to be spied on." Keeping a thumb on her page Darcy turned towards him.

The green eyes that stared at her were full of curiosity instead of mischief like she thought originally. "What are you reading?"

"It's a play from Earth." A dark eyebrow raised at her, of course he didn't know what a play was. "There was a great writer hundreds of years ago named William Shakespeare, he wrote plays like this and sonnets, and so much more. He was awesome and a lot of movies now are based on his plays and a lot of the stage theaters around the world are still showing them, this one isn't well known but it's my favorite."

"What's it about?"

"It's about a Roman general who is so renowned they give him a new name: Coriolanus, he decides that war isn't the only thing he wants and so he tries to get into politics but doesn't want to give in to all of the traditions that go with it, so he's mean to the common people and gets exiled and then killed."

Loki sat quietly for a few minutes staring at the book, there was something in Darcy's eyes that said it was an amazing read but he didn't exactly trust Midgardian writers to match those of Asgard. "And what about the book I gave to you?"

"I'll read it tomorrow, today I'm just unwinding." Watching as she rested her head against the tree Loki almost smiled. "I was thinking, is there any way that you would want to teach me some magic?"

"_Teach_ you?"

"Yeah, I'm interested in it and I thought since you're so good and you seem to have enough time that maybe you could teach me a little bit."

Loki shook his head, "Learning magic is not an easy task, children start when they are very young and it can take centuries to master some of the spells."

"Then help me, I don't exactly have all the time in the world."

The request was ludicrous, how could he even begin to explain the molecular level of magic? Darcy would be going into this with absolutely no prior knowledge and would most likely get overwhelmed within the first hour. "I will help you," She smiled. "But only if you tell me why you are doing this."

"After seeing that building yesterday I'm interested in it, and I think it would be good to learn how magic and science fit together."

His green eyes narrowed, he was suspicious of her asking for his help but didn't back away from a challenge. "I will do you this favor, and will know that if I ever ask for it that you will help me with whatever it is that I require."

"I mean, there's gonna be some boundaries but sure."

With a nod he stood and left the garden letting Darcy return to her play.

"Thor was thinking it would be a good idea for us to learn some self-defense stuff."

"What does that even mean Jane? Are we in so much danger that we need to learn how to protect ourselves? Besides I have my taser…"

The brunette laughed quietly. "We aren't exactly welcomed with open arms here, Odin barely tolerates us being here and some of the more rebellious Asgardians would rather result to more drastic measures. I don't think it's a bad idea."

"Ugh, fine. But I still get to study magic too!"

The pair had been walking towards dinner and when they arrived only Thor and Loki talking in hushed tones at the far end of the table. Only a few seconds after the men realized they weren't alone the Warriors Three and the Lady Sif arrived joining them loudly celebrating something or another. Darcy had been walking to sit next to Loki when a warm hand wrapped around her wrist.

"Lady Darcy, I was wondering if you might beseech me and let me show you around some of the finer parts of Asgard. It is a wondrous place and a woman of your beauty must see it." Fandral of course hadn't let go of her hand instead holding it between both of his, "I am aware that you are busy with your work of course but I had hoped that you would join me tomorrow."

"She has already been shown our fine home Fandral!" Thor bellowed across the table. "Loki and I took the Lady Jane and Lady Darcy to see the sights when they first arrived."

Several things happened all at once, Jane bit her lip trying to not look to sorry for the poor warrior or Darcy, Sif chuckled into her hand, Volstagg took an entire half of the pig on the table, Loki smirked cautiously to himself, and Fandral dropped her hand.

"I see." Bowing he went to the other side of the table and started helping himself to some food while Sif patted him on the back.

Darcy did the same and sat next to Loki as planned, "That poor man, not even rejected by the woman herself but by a third party." There was smoothness in his voice she hadn't heard for a few days.

"You almost seem happy about it."

"Well I did promise to teach you magic."

She was more excited to learn about it than she let on, smiling to herself and not noticing the others throwing her confused glances. Only Thor seemed to be oblivious.

The rest of dinner seemed to go fine, Fandral got over the rejection and was telling war stories with the rest of them trying to entertain the Earthlings. There were a couple that Loki stiffened at making Darcy wonder if they were leaving him out of the tales or not.

"Darcy we will meet tomorrow to begin training yes?"

She nodded realizing that she hadn't really brought anything to wear for physical activities. "Yeah, it'll be fun."

"What training do you speak of?"

"I believe it is a good idea for the ladies to know how to protect themselves in case they are threatened in any way." Sif nodded, obviously she would encourage them to learn how to fight but Darcy was starting to worry about how Thor was going to teach them.

"I will be glad to help." Hogun was the quietest of the group and seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, Darcy had seen him fight once and was impressed.

"I believe we will make warriors of them yet!"

Darcy left shortly after feeling like too much of an outsider to enjoy herself. It didn't take long to realize there was someone following her, the steps weren't heavy like Erik or Thor, or light like Jane, instead it was somewhere in between.

Before she could stop herself Darcy whipped around and came face to face with Loki. "What are you doing?"

Green eyes widened a bit in shock, it was almost like he didn't mean to be seen following her. "I wanted to see if I could borrow that book you were reading, it seemed interesting."

"Oh, sure. Let me just get it for you." It was a weird request but since he had loaned her a book it only seemed right to let him borrow it.

As soon as Darcy turned around Loki had panicked which was quite obviously unusual for him, he had wanted to talk to her more or walk with her but saying those options out loud seemed odd.

The book did indeed seem interesting but it wasn't the reason he was there. So when she returned with the book he cleared his face of any negative emotion, "Shall we begin with your lessons tomorrow?"

"Yeah that sounds good, I think they want to start the self-defense stuff tomorrow morning so could we do it after lunch?"

Loki simply nodded and turned on his heel to leave. He got half way down the hall before turning and walking backward a few steps. "Thank you." He called lifting the book so she understood his meaning.

For the rest of the night Loki toiled with whether he actually wanted to read this play she seemed to enjoy so much, on one hand he wanted to get an insight into her mind to see what she was like and on the other why should he care so much about it? She was no doubt interesting, especially for a Midgardian but he was constantly reminded that she was just that.

After a while of looking at the book covers and turning it over in his hand finally Loki turned to the first page and began reading.

The bed was more comfortable than the one Darcy slept in at home, the comforter engulfed her in warmth and the pillows encased her head in the most perfect way possible. But for some reason she couldn't sleep.

The book Loki had given her sat on the bedside table still unread. Maybe she should read some of it tonight since they were starting with the magic tomorrow, picking up the book she opened it to the first page. She read well into the night until her eyes got bleary and realized that she was almost half way through the book, figuring that was a good start she marked the page and finally fell asleep.

A few hours later Jane bounded into the room and jumped onto the bed. "Darce it's time to wake up! It's breakfast time and then training with Thor and Hogun!"

Grumbling she pulled the comforter up over her head only to have it ripped off. "Alright already I'm coming."

Jane sat and watched making sure Darcy didn't curl up and go to sleep again, she pulled out a loose tank top and sports bra and sweat pants mimicking what her friend had chosen to wear. Breakfast was almost over when they walked in only to find Thor and Frigga at the head of the table.

"Good morning dears, I trust you slept well?" The girls nodded and started eating. "You will be happy to know that there will be a feast in a few days, I will be excited to see you both there to enjoy yourselves."

The queen left shortly after to go do queen things and Thor ushered the both of them out to a large room filled with mats and weapons. Hogun was already there in loose black clothing and no shoes, he bowed to them as they walked in.

"I will train Jane if you would be so kind as to help Darcy." Thor bellowed across the room towards his friend.

Hogun had always been very nice to Darcy; he was quiet but smiled and laughed with the rest of them but never actually boasted about the battles he was in. In Puento Antigua he had fought with his friends against Loki without flourish or battle cries, simply trying to get the job done.

"Lady Darcy, I believe you would be suited better to fight if you removed your shoes." Pulling of the sneakers and socks she threw them towards the wall and watched as Hogun taught her basic techniques in standing and meeting opponents, he started off slowly with his attacks and when he felt like she was starting to understand and protect herself better he sped up at bit.

"Dude, I feel like I can barely stand here correctly!"

Hogun laughed quietly with a large smile on his face. "You are doing well for a beginner, Lady Darcy. Make sure to keep your elbows close to your sides."

"You can just call me Darcy, I'm definitely not a lady."

No one noticed Loki standing above them on a balcony of sorts, he first noticed Thor gently guiding Jane through punches and how to protect her face but eventually kept his eyes locked on Darcy blocking punches from Hogun. She seemed to be enjoying herself, her heart shaped lips parted in a smile for a moment only to be shut in concentration seconds later.

He watched for a bit before silently leaving the room.

After a few hours of training Jane and Darcy hobbled back to their rooms to shower but as soon as she was done getting the sweat out of her hair she threw it up in a messy bun and threw on comfortable jeans and a flannel shirt before running out into the hallway with her bag.

"Going somewhere Darcy?"

Erik hadn't known that she was actually going to be learning magic, no one did and she was hoping to keep it that way for a while. "Just going out for a bit."

Turning the corner out of the hallway she ran into Loki, her face smashed against his chest before bouncing back and grabbing her nose.

"Ouch."

"Are you alright? I didn't mean to hurt you I was only coming to see if you were still interested in learning-"

"I'm alright, let's go."

Loki seemed put off by her sudden need to leave but didn't mention it and instead followed her out of the building.

They reached the stables and borrowed two horses and set off for the floating building. Again Loki grabbed onto her and the light blasted them up through the floor, hopefully soon she would know how to do that.

"I started reading the book you gave me, I got half way done last night before I fell asleep. It's really interesting." Loki remained quiet walking next to her even though a small smile pulled at his lips. "So what are we doing today?"

"Well first I thought I would show you just what it looks like to use some of the magic you will learn, but also it will help prepare you for what it will do to our body." Finally reaching a large practice room he pushed her behind him while shrugging off the green and black outer shirt and throwing it over a table.

His hands glowed blue for a moment before throwing ice at the opposing wall and leaving dagger sized icicles into the building. Darcy stood silently watching him make various weapons out of ice and throwing them, twisting his body around to get better leverage so he could throw the ice harder and farther he looked like a real warrior. After he was finished he turned towards her waiting for a witty remark.

"What was wrong about those stories last night?" Before he could stop it his face pulled into confusion. "The way you tensed up when the warriors were talking about this battle and that battle, it almost seemed like it wasn't actually what happened."

_She is too observant for her own good._ "On Anaheim I sent a projection as a distraction and we ran into the bifrost, there were too many even for that brawny group."

"I take it that kind of stuff has happened more than once."

He noticed that it wasn't a question as much as a statement, "And more than once they have told the tale at a feast that I was not included and there was a great victory with many injured."

Loki had never noticed how big her eyes were, not so big they were unattractive but just enough to make her look curious at everything, the brown was bright against her pale skin making them seem deeper. She may only be an assistant but she was far too clever to be stuck in a world that did not appreciate her brain.

They continued to stare at each other for a few moments before she pushed off the wall towards him. "So how do I harness this magical energy to shoot ice at things?"

Instructing her to pull all of her energy into her hands and think of something she could make with it Loki gently grabbed her hands and positioned them, they were warm and comfortable to hold in his own. Realizing that he would have grasped them forever if he could he took a step back and told her what to do. He wasn't expecting anything to happen the first time they worked together on it and wasn't disappointed then Darcy simply stared at her fingertips for a minute before giving up.

"I will find a few more books I think you should read to help understand how it all works."

They had only been there for an hour but Darcy was already drained from all of her training that morning and wanted a snack. She and Loki found a library and he pulled out three books for her. Riding back to the palace in silence the pair enjoyed the company and said their good byes at the entrance of Darcy's building.

Looking over her shoulder she decided to show a bit of happiness and smiled at him before turning the corner.

_That girl is going to cause some sort of downfall._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The new routine continued, self-defense training in the mornings and then learning magic with Loki after lunch. Hogun swore she was getting better at guarding herself against attacks but the bruises proved otherwise, and Loki kept giving her books to read hoping it would help kick start something, _anything_ inside her.

There wasn't much to her day besides her training until the day of the feast. That morning at breakfast Jane and Darcy sat in their sweats in preparation for the training when Fandral swooped in and bent to a knee in front of her.

"My Lady Darcy, it would be a pleasure and an honor to escort you to the feast tonight."

Her jaw dropped open and her brow furrowed, Darcy had no idea what he was talking about. Looking up to Jane for help her friend but was only met with a snicker and a shrug, the warriors and Sif started chuckling to themselves as well, and again Thor was simply sitting there.

"Uh, well…"

"Unfortunately Fandral, the Lady Darcy already has an escort for tonight." No one had noticed Odin and Frigga enter the room among the entertaining sight. "Our sons have been tasked with escorting the ladies to the feast themselves."

Odin's proclamation shocked everyone in the room, it made sense of course but Darcy had wished there was time to let it sink in.

Fandral once again stood and huffed his way out of the room in shame, since he was being bested by Loki once more without even knowing it.

After they finished the four made their way to the room for training, Jane and Darcy hung behind the guys to talk quietly.

"So, you and Loki are going to the feast together. That sounds interesting."

Jane of course was only mocking the situation because she was already going with Thor, so it didn't matter to her. Darcy stuck her tongue out as a response, "It doesn't seem so bad, he's actually really nice."

"What are you going to wear?"

"What are you wearing tonight?"

It shouldn't have shocked Loki that Darcy would forego the traditional greetings, but the question was so trivial it seemed to hardly matter. _Is this was Midgardians worry about?_ "Why should it matter what I am going to wear?"

"Well if we're going together I thought it would be nice to match."

It made sense, "Probably black trousers with a black tunic and green over shirt."

_Of course, the only colors he has ever worn._ "Alright, I'll see what I have. Anyway, so I read this book last night," Pulling out a red tome from her bag Darcy flipped to a marked page. "It says that there's a special thing I can do to kind of help kick start the abilities and be able to start doing some very basic stuff."

"I believe it is referring to the bathing in purple waters?"

"There's actually purple water here?" Loki nodded, his mother had showed him where it was when he was very young and it had helped his powers exponentially but he still had to work for years on harnessing his abilities. "Can you take me there?"

"I can, but not today. It will make you very tired and you are expected at the feast tonight." Instead they worked on techniques for a bit before going to the library and reading.

They spent hours in the library silently perusing the books there, Darcy read the one he had given her with fervor while Loki simply flipped through the pages as if he knew them by heart. Finally they decided to head back so they could get ready for the feast.

When Darcy walked down the hallway to her room she noticed Jane's door was open and the young scientist was talking to herself.

"The real sign of going crazy is when you answer yourself." Jane's head snapped up towards the door where her friend stood. "Having trouble picking something out?" She only had to frown for Darcy to understand and take charge, he closet was filled with reds and golds and silvers all of which would look beautiful on her but Darcy finally chose a beautiful grey dress with matching beadwork around the bodice, the neckline swooped down nicely preserving her honor while also creating an allure for Thor, and the sleeves hung down the tops of her arms leaving her forearms bare.

"You're a genius Darcy."

"Pretty sure that's you, actually."

Jane sighed happily knowing that she could relax for a bit now. "So how's it going trying to figure out how magic and science mix?"

"Slowly, but I'm hoping that soon something will happen."

"Can I ask you something?" It was Darcy's turn to sigh, she knew Jane well enough to know that she was going to say something about what she was doing. "You said earlier that Loki was really nice," Picking at her fingernails had always given away to Jane's anxiousness whether it be asking a question or trying to figure out some intricate physics dilemma. "Where did that come from?"

Darcy shrugged her shoulders, "He's just nice is all. He might've tried to burn down New Mexico but from what I've seen since we got here he's just another person and he's been nothing but kind."

"When have you had time to talk to him?"

And so she told Jane everything, from the library to the visit to the floating building. It only took a few minutes to say what she needed but by the end Jane's mouth was wide open. "So now he's the one helping me figure out the magic and he's been perfectly fine with it."

There wasn't much that Jane didn't understand, but trying to figure out how her poli-sci intern had all but tamed Thor's psychotic brother was beyond her. Eventually she just gave up trying and sent Darcy out to get ready for the night.

Loki had known all along what his mother was doing, from sending them out to show Jane and Darcy Asgard and leaving only two horses to telling everyone that he would be escorting Darcy to the feast. He was the god of mischief after all but he had learned it from somewhere.

So after he was dressed Loki made his way down to the building where Darcy was housed in, Thor met him on the way out dressed in his armor.

"Brother," Thor clapped Loki on the shoulder and he was glad to be wearing his armor as well. "This feast will be most pleasant do you not agree?"

"I agree that tonight will be pleasurable Thor, but there is no need to shout."

Finally getting to the hallway Thor took longer strides to reach Jane's door faster, Loki watched his brothers large face twist into a goofy grin before knocking. However, he continued at the same pace until he reached Darcy's door which was cracked.

Pushing the door an inch Loki was able to see Darcy slipping into her dress. It wasn't honorable of him to spy on her in such a state of undress, but he felt as though he couldn't help himself. She wore a simple black bra but her panties were made of lace and showed off almost her entire bottom. Pulling the dress up over her hips and slipping her arms through the shoulder straps he watched as she started the do up the buttons on the back.

Knocking on the door Loki saw Darcy turn towards him and smile, not a wide grin but a demure smile knowing that it made her features look more attractive than before. "Hello, there."

"Good evening," Striding into the room Loki couldn't help but feel like smiling. "Would you like some assistance with your dress?" Darcy nodded and turned her back towards him, Loki's long fingers worked aptly at fixing up the buttons but he was taking his time with them. He would only have a few moments with Darcy alone tonight before others at the feast tried to steal her away, not that he felt she needed to stay with him all night nor that he felt he deserved these moments stolen away with her.

What he didn't know was that she could see his face reflected in the mirror and she was studying him. His face had gotten softer than she had ever seen it before like he was savoring the moment of silence with her.

"You look lovely." She had gone with a dress that suited her nicely and also matched him, the top was green and the skirt was black, it was sleeveless and both front and back dipped down in a vee showing off her soft pale skin. Her hair was curled in ringlets with a few pinned back to the center of her head, a silver necklace adorned her neck and a white brass bracelet encircled her left wrist.

"Where did you find this?" The bracelet was twisted metal that did not meet at the ends and instead had two spheres covering the sharp edges.

"Oh, it was lying out with the rest of the jewelry when I got here. I thought it looked nice."

The hesitant smiled played on Loki's lips again, his mother was simply too much. "I thought I had lost it."

His small voice shocked Darcy who went immediately to remove it from her wrist. "I'm so sorry I didn't know it was yours."

Cool fingers stopped her from taking the bracelet off, "Keep it."

"But it's yours, I don't want to take it from you."

"It looks better on you than it ever did on me."

With a nod Darcy slipped on her black shoes and followed Loki to the hallway. Shutting her door he held his arm out for her to take and escort her back to the palace, he was much taller than her but her hand fit comfortably in the crook of his elbow.

The pair received several odd stares as they made way to the feast; it wasn't like Prince Loki to be kindly to anyone much less a woman from another realm. Few had been there when the Allfather announced he would be Darcy's escort to the feast so many assumed that he had asked her there himself. And he was content to let them continue thinking so.

When they walked into the giant room Darcy's breath caught in her throat, everything was sparkling with light bouncing off every surface and everyone was dressed to the nines. Noticing that Loki was steering her to the front where Odin and Frigga were seated she started to get nervous.

"Just curtsey when we approach them, then we will move on."

She almost hadn't heard him but the words registered as soon as they got to the front of the room. Darcy curtseyed and Loki bowed his head, his parents smiled down at them and nodded their heads watching closely as their youngest son moved on to where Thor and Jane were standing.

"Oh my gosh Darcy, you look amazing!"

"It is true Lady Darcy, you are radiant."

She couldn't help but smile, "Awe, thanks guys. You don't look so bad yourselves."

"Would you like a drink?" Darcy nodded and watched Loki cross to a table and pick up two cups. She would soon find out how strong Asgardian wine really was.

Throughout the night Jane and Darcy were introduced to so many people that they eventually just ran together, and they were asked to dance more than they enjoyed.

A few hours into the night Thor asked Darcy to dance and led her to the floor without an answer.

"You know I can't dance muscle man…"

Thor simply shook his head. "I will so all the leading, but I needed to speak with you. There is something different about my brother lately, it is not a bad change but a change nonetheless and I would know how it happened."

"Dude, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Darcy, since your arrival Loki has been calmer and more open to socialization. Jane tells me that you have been spending time with him and that the two of you get along well, could it be that this change has something to do with you?" Darcy's brown eyes looked up at Thor's bright blue ones, could Loki have changed because of her? "He was very angry before Darcy and was almost to a breaking point, he could have found enough anger within him to destroy us all. But he has been tamed since your arrival."

"And you think that I have something to do with it?" Thor nodded. "I'm not sure what I would have done to make it happen but sure…"

The smile on Thor's face was almost splitting his head in half. "Lady Darcy, you simply had to be kind to him."

After a few more rotations around the dance floor the song ended only to be replaced with another more upbeat song. Immediately after Thor let go of her hand Volstagg ran up and grabbed her for the dance. It went on for a few songs, Hogun raced up to her after the song with Volstagg ended and he was replaced with Fandral (of course) who had held her much closer than the others.

Loki had been watching Darcy dance with his friends while sipping his wine, she seemed to be having a good time with them until Fandral had grabbed her. Something about the man had always annoyed Loki, and he had taken great pleasure in watching her reject him time and time again. But it seemed as if there was no way for her to get out of the dance with him this time, so Loki set his cup down and made his way over to them.

"May I?" Holding his hand out to Darcy he didn't even glance at Fandral, if he had he would have noticed his mouth set in a hard line and then open to reject the proposal until Darcy took his hand and said a small thank you to Fandral.

Loki knew how to dance well, and surprised Darcy with smooth movements that even made her odd steps seem natural.

"Thank you for saving me." She finally spoke.

"What are escorts for?"

"Are you having a good time?" Loki nodded to her. "You could show it, maybe smile or laugh. I know you want to."

"Do you now?"

They had spent enough time together for Darcy to notice that when he found something humorous or was enjoying himself that he would smile only for a brief moment before going back to acting apathetic towards the situation. "I do, you're so hell bent on keeping up this act of being mean and angry that showing you enjoy something seems weird to you and shatters your reputation."

_Damn this woman and her observations._ "You would have me show my emotions so freely?" Darcy nodded. "And what makes you think that I in fact have these emotions?"

"I see you try not to smile when you're happy with something, and look away when you think you'll laugh. You're not as sly as you think, you may be the god of lies but there's only so much you can lie about."

He hadn't even noticed that the song was over until she pulled out of his grasp and walked over to Jane.

_She really does know more about me than I do sometimes._

It was more of a surprise to anyone when Odin and Frigga descended to the floor for their guests, but truly shocking when Odin approached Darcy for a dance.

"Lady Darcy you look marvelous tonight."

"Thank you," She hesitated. "I'm sorry what should I call you?"

"Odin is fine child," he led them around effortlessly with all eyes on them. "I see you wear the same colors as my son as well as his bracelet."

There was so much that could inferred from that. She had worn this dress simply because Loki was her escort for the night and she felt that it was the right thing to do, but the bracelet had been an accident. "I found the bracelet in my room I didn't know it was Loki's."

"No doubt my wife's doing." The old man smiled sadly down at her. "She is where he gets his ideas of mischief from and however good my son has become his mother will always be better."

"What exactly is she trying to do? She's done a lot to push us together."

Odin laughed heartily now. "That is the only purpose child, she wants our son to be happy and she believes he is happiest with you."

"But how would she know? He hadn't spoken until I got here and she made us go exploring together."

"Loki did that without quarrel, it was how Frigga knew that he would not mind to spend time with you."

The song ended and Odin bowed his head to Darcy leaving to find his wife in the crowd. She still felt everyone staring at her when Loki approached her and wrapped her arm around her waist leading her out of the room.

**A/N: Whaaaaaaaat is going on?!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Loki wasn't being rough with Darcy by pulling her out of the room, but he didn't think that she would want to be in there any longer.

"What happened?"

Darcy shrugged. "Odin was just talking to me, it was weird."

"About what?"

Could she lie to him about it? Could she even lie to the god of lies? "It was nothing, probably just because I'm not from here." Not wanting to talk about it anymore she grabbed his arm again. "Want to go to the garden?"

The side of Loki's mouth tipped upwards, it wasn't a smile but it would do. They had been walking slowly with each other before Darcy ran off up the stairs holding the skirts of her dress up so she wouldn't trip on them. It didn't take much effort to keep up with her and following was rather easy with her giggling.

Maybe it was the wine or the company but Loki felt light, as if he had no troubles in the world. The feast had been interesting to watch and he had another excuse to embarrass Fandral, _and to dance with Darcy_ but it had only been about pomp and circumstance.

It was obvious to everyone that Loki preferred peace and quiet to the rambunctious parties of others. That was why he had enjoyed spending time with Darcy so much, she was thoughtful and only talked when she had something to say. She didn't spend time spinning stories to impress him, she felt that if he were impressed with her it would be because of how she acted naturally.

So when they reached the garden and Loki found her leaning against the wall staring out over the city he felt the pull to wrap his arms around her. It was something that he had only felt once before and it had ended badly which only reinforced his will to keep emotions to himself. Instead he situated himself beside her enjoying the view of Asgard with her and savoring the silence.

It seemed like they had stood there for half an hour not speaking until Darcy whispered.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said thank you, for everything."

She could feel his confusion and sighed to herself. "For tonight, for saving my from Fandral and dancing with me, getting me drinks, and for lending me books, and helping me try to learn how to use magic, and for making me feel welcome here."

She fell back into the communal silence until Loki noticed her shivering, without a word he unhook his cloak and stood behind her wrapping it around the slender shoulders. Again he felt the urge to keep his hands rested on her shoulders and feel the warmth of her skin against his cool hands.

He almost did it, he almost kept a hold of her until they heard voices coming from the doorway. The pair spun around in time to see a couple deeply entwined in each other, they didn't notice Loki and Darcy which made him happy since he didn't want to show strangers his vulnerability just yet and with silent footsteps he led Darcy back out from the garden.

"May I walk to you back to your room?"

Darcy was getting kind of tired with how formal Loki was with her, they had spent countless hours together just talking and yet he still spoke to her like they almost didn't know each other. Instead of answering because she was sure it would come out clipped, she nodded and let him lead her out of the palace and towards the building she was staying in.

"Darcy," It was the first time he had said her name all evening but the way he said it made her breath catch. "I wanted to thank you for allowing me to escort you tonight." There was a look in his eyes and for a minute she thought he would kiss her, but instead he gently pulled her hand up and placed a kiss on her knuckles. Then, without another word he was gone.

Undoing the buttons on the dress was just as difficult as doing them up in the first place, and Darcy struggled for a long while trying to reach them comfortably to slip them out of the button holes.

_If I could use magic these things would be undone already and I could be in my pajamas._

Instead she struggled in front of the mirror trying to contort her arms until Jane barged through the door and ran up to her. "You'll never guess what happened!"

"Help me with my dress and I'll let you tell me."

Jane didn't hear her and instead fell onto the bed giggling, "Thor asked me to marry him."

"What?!" The buttons forgotten Darcy jumped up next to friend. "When did this happen?"

She went into a story of how she and Thor left shortly after she and Loki did and they went walking around the palace talking and laughing when suddenly he stopped and took her hands and asked her to be his wife.

"Holy shit balls Jane, you're getting married!" They hugged and screamed so loudly together that Erik ran down the hall in nothing but a shirt and boxer shorts.

"What's going on?" He yelled crashing through the door making them laugh and scream louder.

"Now will someone _please_ help me with these damn buttons?!"

Jane and Darcy spent the night together in Darcy's room talking and eating snacks, they realized that it had been so long since the two of them had actually spent time together that there was so much to talk about. Finally when they started to yawn the girls tucked themselves in and fell asleep.

The next morning Jane woke up Darcy and reminded her that they had self-defense training and needed to get a move on or they would be late. The day continued with the normal routine but Loki seemed more off put than he had before.

It seemed odd at first that they didn't speak which only made her know that something was going on. She said hello and he simply nodded and helped her onto the horse. The ride to the building was still silent, walking to the library, finding books, and sitting to read them all in silence.

"Is something wrong?"

Loki stiffened at her voice like it was painful for him to hear. "No," he answered quickly. "Nothing is the matter."

"Are you sure, because last night was fine and we were having fun and talking and now you're all closed off again."

"What makes you think that there is something the matter simply because I am not talkative today?"

"It's just that you're not talking, like at all. And I just thought maybe…" _What was the trying to say?_ "Maybe we had gotten past all that and were having fun hanging out with each other."

Loki pretended to keep reading his book, but he had read over the same sentence four or five times. He wanted to spend time with her and wanted it to be enjoyable, but he was reeling over the news from Thor the night before.

_Could he be so happy with the scientist that he was willing to marry her? And why hadn't he found someone that he could be himself with? Darcy was right, he kept himself closed off from too many people. He had spent centuries alone with nothing but his own thoughts and books. But that was all changed now that she was on Asgard._

"It is nothing to concern yourself with Darcy."

"The hell it's not, I thought we were starting to become friends and you were helping me figure out how to use magic, I even thought that you had a nice time with me last night as my escort." She wasn't yelling, she was simply talking to him although she did sound exhausted.

He could read through the meaning of her words though, she had hoped that he was having a good time _with_ her and not just because it was a celebration. Even Loki could admit that he was acting like an idiot, he did enjoy spending time with Darcy and had loved everything about last night so why was he treating her like this?

Darcy sighed from the other side of the room, of course she had been waiting for an answer and he hadn't given one. Too late he realized that she left the room.

_She doesn't know how to leave the building._ It scared him knowing that she was walking around alone but helped knowing that there was no one here to harm her. After a few moments Loki stood and walked out into the hallway hoping to figure out where to find where she had gone.

It took half an hour or walking up and down the halls but eventually he decided to wait at the entrance. If great minds thought alike than her mind worked faster than his because when he arrived in the lobby of the building she was already there with her knees pulled up to her chest. Without a word she stood and took his hand allowing him to transport her outside but as soon as her feet touched the ground she dropped her hand and walked to her horse.

Loki didn't even have a chance to help her onto the horse she was so far ahead of him, and she let her horse guide the way back to the stables only to grudgingly allow Loki to help her off the saddle. It wasn't like her to remain so quiet but he soon realized that she simply playing the same game he was.

He had to admit that it stung. But what would hurt more was the silence that followed the next few days.

As they walked up the stairs towards the building Darcy was staying in she kept a pace ahead of him at all times. When they reached the hallway with her room Loki tried to get her attention only to be shut out.

"Darcy, I will not beg for you to look at me."

"Then don't." She wasn't playful anymore, the look in her eyes wasn't glee or mirth it was anger. "You obviously don't have to beg me for anything because you are a _god_ of _Asgard_ and I am just some intern from Earth. So you can continue to ignore what you don't like and keep yourself at arm's length with everyone because that is what you know." Loki stood there taking in every word she was yelling at him. "I don't know why I thought that we were getting along or why I thought you liked spending time with me but I was wrong. So here," The bracelet was off her wrist in a flash and in his hand. "Take this back and pretend like I never had it."

The words flew out of her mouth and before any other emotion besides anger could show Darcy stormed off to her room. Loki was shocked to say the least, he had been acting like a fool to think that after months of spending every day together that he could just stop talking to her. Luckily it wasn't in a public place and they could continue acting as if nothing happened.

Except of course, everything had changed.

Darcy raced to her room streaking past Jane and Erik's offices in the process. Her face was red and splotchy from the rage and tears that she had been holding in and once she crossed the threshold into her space the tears started falling freely.

"Darcy," Jane's timid voice called from the doorway. "Darcy what's wrong?" The small brunette raced to the bed and threw her arms around Darcy, without another word she let her friend sob into the pillow offering comforting words and rubbing her hair and back.

It took almost an hour for all of the rage she had been feeling for months to pour out, the tears were her loneliness and agitation, her frustration and anger, but not her happiness. Finally, when she could hardly breath, her eyes puffy, and her pillow soaked with tears and snot she finally reached out to Jane.

"I am so stupid."

She tried to change Darcy's mind, tried to convince her that she wasn't stupid at all. But in the end Darcy knew that she had been lied to by the god of lies himself. She had opened up to him and allowed herself to consider him a friend even asking for his help and knowing that in the end he would be the same Loki as New Mexico.

"Jane, I can't believe how stupid I was. How stupid I am. I let him get to me, I thought we were friends or even a little more than that but now everything's ruined and how am I supposed to stay here completely alone?"

"You're not alone!"

"You have Thor and Erik and you talk about the bridge all the time! News flash: I don't know jack shit about physics and even less about that fucking bridge! I am just a puny mortal to everyone here and I know it. The only person who has treated me like I was actually worth something since I got here has been Loki and now he probably wants nothing to do with me."

Darcy never acted like this, she didn't do the whole clingy girlfriend thing and let some guy make her completely melt down. But everything just happened and she was so sick and tired of being the stupidest one in the room. She didn't mean to yell at Jane but she didn't want to be told that she mattered anymore because she didn't.

Jane looked hurt, as she should have been. Darcy had said hurtful things but the worst was that Darcy thought so little of herself. There wasn't even a chance that Jane would have left her behind after everything she had done for her in New Mexico, even though she wasn't even a science major she knew more about the research than anyone else and she already knew about Thor.

"Darcy," Her voice was so small now. "You _know_ that if I thought you wouldn't be of any help here that I wouldn't have brought you. But not only have you helped our research tremendously you're also my best friend, and do you really think I would have left to a different planet without bringing you along for the ride?"

Both girls had been only children and the parents in each situation were no longer around for various reasons, Erik had been the only father figure either of them had for years and he was slowly losing his mind. They were like sisters to each other and these were fights like this constantly but never on Darcy's end.

She had always been the more stable of the pair, calming Jane when she went on a rampage and rambled about whatever it was she was freaking out about whatever it was that week. Very, very, _very_ rarely was it Jane comforting Darcy and sometimes she forgot what she needed to do.

"You have to do what's best for you, and if that means staying away from Loki for a while I can help with that. We can figure out a way to keep you around us and away from him until you're ready and no one else needs to know."

"Jane, everyone is going to know." Darcy went into what Thor had said during the feast and realized that she was going a little more that open with how close they were. Not to mention Frigga had been trying so hard to get them together.

Now everything was destroyed.

**A/N: Hmm…wonder what's gonna happen between these two love birds. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The self-defense training continued for Jane and Darcy and now that she was no longer meeting up with Loki she had more time to work on her training with Hogun.

At the breakfast table Thor was just as rowdy as ever but Darcy kept to herself. Everyone knew it was out of the ordinary but Jane covered it up well enough to keep suspicions at bay. But when Loki walked in his entire body tensed.

He could see it on her face, her eyes were blood shot, the area around her eyes puffy, and the area under her nose raw. She had cried over him and he felt terrible. The fact that he had done something so horrible to someone he had grown to care for made him feel like a monster.

Hogun had agreed to stay later with her to work out all of the frustrations she was dealing with and effectively ended up being her punching bag. They had started with the techniques as always and slowly moved on to working with long sticks trying to hit each other in certain areas to knock the other off their feet. Eventually Hogun had realized what was happening and just let Darcy start punching him, he didn't know why but he just knew that he couldn't push her too hard today.

On the balcony above the training room Loki watched for two hours as Darcy fought and screamed with one of the best and most skilled warrior he had ever laid eyes on. She was sweaty and panting but kept going at it resetting her footing and sparing with Hogun time after time until eventually she just sat on the floor.

Only then did Loki stride out of the door towards the library for some solitary confinement.

Jane stuck by her promise to try and keep Loki away from Darcy, and for a few weeks it worked. She kept training with Hogun every morning and every afternoon she met up with Jane and Erik on the rainbow bridge to collect data.

She had never made it back inside the golden dome until about three weeks after what she had started referring to as the "Loki-Incident". The crazy tall golden eye guy looked at her for a moment before turning back to the cosmos.

"Miss Lewis, you seem troubled."

It was the understatement of the century. "I am, but how can you see it?"

"I can see anything I choose to put my gaze upon, I have kept a watch over you and the scientists since your arrival to ensure your safety." Darcy felt like she knew where this was going and started biting her bottom lip. "My gaze fell upon you not long ago and saw you in tears, inconsolable it would have seemed."

She stayed silent, the gatekeeper knew exactly what had happened but wouldn't say so. His eyes gleamed and for a moment it seemed like he knew something else that he wasn't saying which made Darcy curious but she only said goodbye.

After a few more hours out on the bridge with Jane and Erik the three finally made their way back to the offices to drop off the data and get ready for dinner.

Darcy strolled to her room and was surprised to see a box sitting neatly on her bed. The box was white with a simply green bow tied around it, a card sat on top and in neat handwriting on the front was her name.

_I am sorry._

The three words had never held to much meaning to her before, but when she opened the box and saw the brass bracelet she couldn't help but smile. Another note was tucked underneath it:

_I've missed you._

Her heart skipped a beat. He _missed_ her? Taking the bracelet out of the box and slipping it back onto to wrist Darcy felt happy. Jane took that opportunity to walk into her room and without a word read the notes.

"That's amazing Darcy! He actually apologized to you, I mean it took him long enough but still. "Jane couldn't help but smile at her friends happiness, Darcy had been so down these past few weeks and this simple yet outstanding gesture from Loki meant more to her than he could have ever realized.

They made their way to dinner and a spring was back in Darcy's step, everyone noticed it but kept it to themselves.

As usual Loki was the last to arrive but made sure to look at Darcy's wrist as quickly as he could making sure to hide the smile that formed on his lips.

"Hey Jane," Darcy called across the table after they had finished. "I'm gonna go to the library and see if I can't find a book to help understand what we collected today." With a wink she strode out of the room and up towards the large library she and Loki had spent so much time in together.

Like clockwork he showed up only ten minutes later walking right up to her and without breaking eye contact sat across from her and took her hands in his.

"I truly am so sorry for how I acted before, and you did not deserve that from me." His green eyes were more sincere than she had ever seen them. "You were right, I had something on my mind and it was bothering me and I took it out on you and for that I am so sorry."

Loki opened his mouth to apologize more but he never got the chance, Darcy jumped across the table and threw her arms around his shoulders crashing her lips against his. He was surprised, but not enough to completely deny her what she wanted.

Their lips moved together for a few moments, hands roamed across necks and cheeks before breaking apart for air. Darcy kept her forehead against Loki's trying to figure out what had come over her.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you." Was all she would muster.

Loki laughed out loud for the first time she could remember, the smile on his face was genuine and he seemed really happy.

And that made Darcy happy.

Fandral had wanted to appeal to Darcy one last time to see if how she felt about it had changed, when she had loudly announced where she was going after dinner he thought it was his best chance. But when he watched Loki slip into the library Fandral pressed himself up against the wall to listen better.

Everyone had noticed how close Darcy and Loki had gotten since she arrived and again when they fell apart. Fandral had bided his time waiting for the opportune moment to ask Darcy to reconsider his gracious offers, but with what he was hearing maybe it wouldn't work after all.

"-I am so sorry."

The pair were sitting at a table holding hands and speaking in low voices. But Loki had apologized to her…he had to have done something terrible to feel like he needed to apologize to her. Or he loved her enough to take that step.

He didn't have time to think too much about it because Darcy launched herself across the table and was kissing Loki.

_Well damn, there go my chances._

"So what, he just apologized and then you kissed him?"

Jane and Darcy had made a point to start spending more time together which meant that they had more slumber parties than before. At least once a week they spent the night with each other making sure that they were involved in each other's lives more than they had been before, and since Darcy had been having such a hard time Jane decided a second night this week was necessary.

"Yeah, I mean you should have seen his face. I've never seen him or anyone look so sad. So he was apologizing and kept saying how sorry he was and I just couldn't help it so I kissed him."

Everything had been a bit confusing after taking that step but she felt happy.

"I'm happy everything worked out with you two, Erik and I were getting really worried about you." Darcy smiled, she loved her little family. "Even Thor started asking about it."

"Well hopefully it all works out and this means that I'll get back on the magic thing and see where it takes us."

After a few minutes both girls were curling up to go to sleep, Darcy kept thinking about how she was going to move forward.

"Frigga my love, they are reconciled. I beg you no more pushing."

They were thrilled to see Loki so happy but Frigga wanted so much more.

"I just hope that Fandral will leave that poor girl alone now."

Everyone noticed the next morning when Darcy arrived to breakfast that there had been a big change, and when Loki kissed her hand good morning everyone collectively stopped.

At the training with Hogun after breakfast he noticed that Darcy wasn't as reckless with her moves as she had been before and was even able to land a few hits on him. At the end of their time together Hogun bowed to her deeper than he had before.

Darcy felt so impressed with herself that she practically skipped to lunch after her shower, the food was delicious and she and Loki were free to leave the room with each other without feeling like everyone was getting the wrong idea.

But instead of going to the floating building like every other day, Loki lead her up a couple flights of stairs.

"Where are we going?"

"I wanted to show you my sanctuary. The only person besides myself that has entered this room is my mother." The door looked just like the rest but she knew as soon as she opened it that he felt very protective of this space. The bed was made immaculately and with several bookshelves taking up a wall filled with books.

Darcy was amazed at how well kept the room was, the complete opposite of her own style of living and she was also astounded by the number of books.

"Have you read all of these?" Loki nodded. "How?"

He shrugged, he was centuries old. "I've had plenty of time."

Darcy wandered towards the bookshelves trying to see if she could recognize any of the books. Loki watched her move slowly through the room trying to take it all in, he couldn't deny that he was attracted to her but what he found most interesting was her mind. She said what she wanted to without fear of being judged and meant everything that came out of her mouth.

Without realizing he strode forward and turned Darcy's body towards his, she was surprised and gasped a bit when he ran his fingers down the curve of her smooth cheek. He couldn't help it, he loved the feeling of her warm skin underneath his fingertips and found himself leaning down towards her slowly.

After what felt like forever their lips finally met and Loki couldn't help but feel pure happiness. Slowly they deepened the kiss, Darcy grabbed a handful on the tunic he was wearing trying to keep from falling over while Loki tangled his fingers in her thick hair. Apparently Loki hadn't really made out with anyone in a long time because when she nibbled his bottom lip his body tensed only to reply in earnest.

It didn't take long for Loki to simply push Darcy against the bookcase deepening the kiss even more. But when Darcy ran her hands up his shirt he stopped.

"I don't want to take advantage of you Darcy," The whisper only made her want him more. "I want to do this right."

He was still holding onto her one hand on her waist and then other still in her hair, their foreheads pressed together, and Darcy's eyes closed.

"You know," Her voice was still quiet. "That ship sailed a long time ago."

Laughing, Loki too her hand and brought her to his bed and laid with her running his fingers over every piece of skin he could see. The coolness of his touch was raising goosebumps on her unblemished skin. Her dark hair fanned out on the gold pillow and a smile sprawled on her lips.

She had never been happier.

"So what, Loki just suddenly decided he was going to be a real person because of her?"

The Warriors Three and the Lady Sif had talked at length about the transformation of their prince, mainly because Fandral never shut up about how jealous he was that the Lady Darcy preferred Loki over himself.

"Loki was always a real person," Hogun had learned so much about their relationship just from practicing with Darcy, he knew what was going on the best out of all of them. "Darcy just has something special about her that brings out the good in everyone."

It was true, she might have matched Loki's complexion and dark hair but she was radiant at all times. The fact that she could bring the lightness out of Loki was something to behold.

"And she's tough," Being the only female warrior Sif liked it when others were as hard-hitting as she was. "I like her."

It took months but Darcy was finally able to figure out how to harness her energy and do some magic. It had happened one morning after waking up with Loki, he had tried to hold out and "do the right thing" but finally gave in. It had been such a long time since either of them had slept with someone that it had been awkward at first but once they got into it they really enjoyed themselves.

When Darcy woke up the next morning still naked and sore, she took the time to study Loki's face. He was the most attractive man she had ever seen by far and recognized that the first time she saw him, his eyes were a color she hadn't seen before and since then she had been entranced. But now that his eyes were closed she saw the angles in his face, the high cheekbones, his lips, and the shape of his eyes. Running her finger lightly down his cheek bone she thought of the first time they had kissed and the first time she that that she might actually love him.

Her finger sparked blue.

"Ouch!" Loki's eyes widened and he sat up letting the blanket fall off his naked chest. "What was that for?"

His cheek was red where her finger had been like she had pinched him, but she had only run her finger down his skin.

"I did it!" Darcy cried staring at her hand. "I did magic! I was watching you sleep and then I touched your face and my finger turned blue like your hands do!"

Loki kept rubbing his cheek but looked shocked. "What were you thinking about?"

"That I think I'm falling in love with you."


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"You keep your erotic fingers away from me, I'm trying to concentrate!"

Loki could only laugh at his fiancée, "My _erotic fingers_?"

"Yes those, keep them away from me." He and Darcy had spent years practicing her magical abilities, trying to figure out how to harness the ability now that she knew what triggered it. "You know how much I love your hands and they're only going to distract me."

"Well we are to be married tomorrow, I was hoping that since we won't see each other until the ceremony and won't get any time to ourselves until very later that we could indulge a little." Loki had gotten permission from his parents to marry Darcy six months earlier only a year after Thor and Jane had been wed.

Of course the pair had worked on having children right away which made the family very happy and since Darcy had been named godmother she was ecstatic.

So when Loki asked permission to marry Darcy it seemed like it probably wasn't going to happen. How could both of the Asgardian princes marry Midgardians? Luckily for both of them, Frigga had been more than happy to agree and made sure the Allfather also conceded.

"Tomorrow is going to be amazing." Not only was it finally the day of their wedding (which would be a large affair thanks to Loki being a prince and all) but it was also the day that Darcy would take a bite of a very special apple and gain immortality.

"So do I get to be a goddess?"

"That is for Odin to decide."

"I hope so."

"Loki Odinson and Darcy Lewis, do you so swear to me, your Allfather that you will cherish one another and love one another for eternity."

"We do." They answered together.

They were in the throne room, standing on the steps leading up to Odin's golden throne. Odin himself standing before them officiating with Frigga dressed in all silver sitting in her throne, Jane was standing next to Darcy and Thor next to Loki which had been done at the insistence of the bride to keep at least one Midgardian tradition. The rest of the room was filled with what seemed to be everyone in Asgard watching as the youngest prince vowed his love to another, a day not many had held their breath for.

Loki was dressed in his traditional armor, clad in green and black and gold, glimmering with the light every time he turned his horned head. In another Earth tradition, Darcy had opted for a mostly white dress but had added a lot of green to it and in no jewelry but the brass bracelet that had once belonged to Loki.

Erik had returned to Asgard for the occasion and had been the one to talk her down the aisle, watching from the front row with the Warriors Three and the Lady Sif as Darcy said her vows.

The pair held hands and turned towards one another praising the gods of love and fidelity before Odin pronounced them wed.

"Darcy Lewis," He called. "My new daughter, you have agreed to also become immortal." She nodded and watched as Frigga walked forward with a golden apple.

"Take a bite."

The warmth spread through her body quickly and everyone watched in awe as she glowed for a moment.

"I Odin Allfather do hereby pronounce you Darcy the Goddess of Rhetoric."

The cheers were deafening but Loki and Darcy only had eyes for each other, breaking away only to receive congratulations from Jane, Thor, Frigga, and Odin. The first few moments of married life was spent like that as everyone was filtered out to the great feast scheduled for the occasion.

"I love you more than words can describe Darcy Lewis."

"And I love you Loki."

"Bor climb down from there and stop taunting your cousin." Jane was exhausted from constantly running after her three children but enjoyed the time spent with Darcy. "So, do you think you'll have any more kids?"

Darcy shrugged, "I think two is enough for now but we'll see." They had been married for four years and their oldest was already three, the youngest was one and had found happiness in chasing the older kids around. "Besides, we have forever to have more kids right."

Since the wedding Darcy had begun to understand how magic worked and was able to do a few small spells but nothing fancy like her husband, she had been able to chill her drink once and was working on eventually just freezing one of Jane's all together as they spoke.

"There she is," The smooth voice brought her out of concentration and the cup remained chilled. "Working on something there love?"

"Not at all, how was your day?"

Darcy watched her husband seat himself on the arm of her chair and watched his children run around.

"Did you try to freeze my water?" Jane seemed surprised that her best friend would even try to do something like that. "Why would you do that?"

"For fun."

"I was thinking that maybe it's time to introduce Rinda to the library and see what she can pick up." Since the say she was born Loki had wanted to show his daughter magic and when she had started to imitate her parents hand motions while trying to do something he figured it wouldn't hurt to try. "They both have my Jotun blood in them, but I think we can make it work."

"As long as they don't randomly learn to turn themselves blue."

His green eyes leveled with hers and tried to seem menacing but Darcy knew that to her he could be anything but. "I'm sure it will randomly happen sometime." The rest of Asgard still didn't know about Loki's real parentage and he was more than pleased when both children were born not blue.

He looked out to his children, they both had dark hair and pale skin like their parents but only one had green eyes like him. Both had high cheeks bones like Loki and Darcy's petite nose. He loved that his children were a beautiful mixture of his features and Darcy's.

"Daddy!"

Rinda ran over to him followed by her little brother Nefir. "Hello my loves, how are you?" Loki dropped to the ground to pick up his children one in each arm.

"Daddy I almost caught Bor!" He pulled a face of elation and listened as his daughter talked about running all afternoon and almost caught her older cousin but had tripped accidentally.

Darcy turned to Jane, "Okay, maybe one more kid. My ovaries just kind of exploded from this."

"Who's ready for dinner with their grandparents?" Jane had always been better at rallying her children than Darcy, but since Loki was holding them he was able to just carry them to meet with Odin and Frigga.

"Hello my wonderful babies!" Frigga had loved being a grandmother and doted on each of the children as much as she could. The queen greeted each of them before kissing her son and daughters-in-law.

Dinner was as rambunctious as ever with all of the children at the table, but when Loki leaned over to his wife and whispered in her ear it was like everything calmed.

"I love you more than words can describe."

**A/N: And that's a wrap, but I would love to try and write a sequel so let me know what you think! Thanks for reading everyone **


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